4 6 



Garden and Forest. 



[JANUARY 22, 1890. 



at command, ,the success need not necessarily he less, 

 but sowing must be deferred until the departure of frost. On 

 sowing' in the open ground we cannot speak favorably, owing 

 to the trying influence of long continued drought and heavy 

 thunder-storms. O. 



Passaic, N. J. 



Cattleya Dowiana and its Varieties. 

 '"PHIS superb Cattleya is now becoming pretty common in 

 -*■ collections, thanks to recent importations ; and, as is usual 

 in such cases, it already shows traces of a certain amount of 

 variability in the color of the flowers. It is certainly one of 

 the showiest and most distinct of summer-flowering Cattleyas, 

 and will doubtless become still more universally cultivated in 

 the future. The rich crimson-purple lip, exquisitely penciled 

 with radiating golden lines, forms a brilliant contrast with the 

 clear yellow sepals and petals, and imparts a charm to the 

 flower which could scarcely be excelled under any circum- 

 stances. It is somewhat curious that so beautiful a species 

 should have remained unknown in gardens so long after its 

 discovery. It was originally detected by Warscewicz, about 

 1850, in Costa Rica, and both living plants and dried speci- 

 mens were sent to Messrs. Low & Co., of Clapton. The plants 

 never reached their destination, hence it was that for some 

 years afterward doubts were entertained of the existence of so 

 superb a Cattleya as that which the letters of the traveler de- 

 scribed. About fifteen years afterward, however, it was re- 

 discovered by Mr. Arce, a native naturalist, who was engaged 

 in collecting natural history objects in Costa Rica for Mr. G. 

 Ure Skinner. Plants were sent to England through Captain 

 Dow (after whom the species was named), and one of them 

 flowered in the establishment of Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, 

 of Chelsea, in the autumn of 1865. It is said to be restricted 

 to a small area on the slopes of the great central mountain 

 range facing the Pacific Ocean, and to exist only in very lim- 

 ited numbers. This is the old typical form, and still rare in 

 gardens ; indeed it is said to be more difficult to cultivate than 

 the varieties. 



It is highly curious that a form of the same species should 

 grow in New Granada, over 600 miles distant from the native 

 home of the typical C. Dowiana. It is the variety aurea, and 

 was discovered by Gustav Wallis in 1868, near Frontino, in the 

 state of Antioquia. Rcezl places its habitat near the river 

 Cauca, at a considerable distance above its confluence with 

 the Magdalena. It chiefly differs from the typical form in 

 having the markings on the lip more copious and irregularly 

 distributed over the surface. It is the discovery of this variety 

 which has chiefly helped the plant to become so common in 

 gardens, as the old Costa Rican form is still comparatively 

 rare. It is also said to be more easily cultivated, and certainly 

 seems to be more variable. The variation chiefly resolves 

 itself into a paler or deeper shade of yellow in the sepals and 

 petals, and the relative preponderance of the crimson or 

 golden-yellow markings on the lip. But slight as this may 

 appear on paper, it amounts to a great deal when a number of 

 plants are seen growing together. In some species it would 

 mean the difference between a good and a bad form, though 

 in so grand a species even the worst forms are very beautiful. 



The variety chrysotoxa, originally called Cattleya chryso- 

 toxa, and recently figured at t. 80 of the Reichenbachia, is best 

 distinguished by having a large, dark crimson-purple, triangu 

 lar blotch in front of the lip, which gradually passes into a 

 narrow border of the same color behind, thus leaving a large 

 and very characteristic golden-yellow space on each side of 

 the throat. Other varieties do not appear to have received 

 distinctive names, and perhaps it would be difficult to find 

 constant marks of difference, for they pass so gradually the 

 one into the other that the differences observed may be said 

 to be chiefly that of mere individuals of the same species. 

 The opposite extreme to the one just mentioned is when the 

 crimson color preponderates and the yellow is confined to the 

 radiating nerves. Forms possessing this peculiarity are ex- 

 ceptionally gorgeous, especially when the sepals and petals are 

 of a deeper shade than usual. 



The New Granadian form of Cattleya Dowiana is known to 

 grow with Cattleya labiata Warscewiczii or C. gigas, as it is 

 often called, and the result is that several well-marked natural 

 hybrids have appeared in collections in which the characters 

 of the two are unmistakably blended. Cattleya Hardyana was 

 the first of these which appeared, and a splendid figure may 

 be seen at t. 231 of the "Orchid Album." C. Massaiana, figured 

 at /. 362 of the same work, is equally beautiful, though perhaps 

 less distinct than could be wished, and better called a variety 

 of C. Hardyana. In these the characters of C. gigas prepon- 

 derate, especially in the color of the sepals and petals ; but in 



other specimens, not yet figured, and probably resulting from 

 the reverse cross, exactly the opposite takes place, for the 

 sepals are but lightly marbled with pale rose, while the petals 

 have the ground color of this shade, but the whole copiously 

 veined with light yellow in just the same way as the lip. The 

 effect of this is very curious, though the colors are not as bril- 

 liant as in the other forms. Several very beautiful artificial 

 hybrids have also Cattleya Dowiana for one parent, and thus 

 we see how important a place it fills in our collections. 



London. CalypSO. 



Correspondence. 



Horticultural Notes From California. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



At this time, January 7th, the San Francisco florists have 

 no out-door Roses. After such a long-continued storm, 

 the only dependence is on plants grown under glass. A few 

 Daffodils and Lilacs are in the market — early flowers from 

 sheltered gardens. The flowers of the Japanese Quince have 

 begun to appear, . masses of yellow Acacias are sold on the 

 streets with flowers of Magnolia grandiflora from San Raphael, 

 and violets were never more cheap and abundant. 



The coming favorite here, among spring-flowering bulbs, is 

 undoubtedly the Daffodil. None are better adapted to Cali- 

 fornia soil and none are more popular. For ten years I have 

 seen the interest in this flower increase, and thousands of 

 bulbs are now being planted. The only Daffodil known here 

 has been the common Yellow Trumpet, but last year collec- 

 tions of English varieties and of other species began to appear, 

 and one occasionally sees a flower of Narcissus Horsfieldi, or 

 of N. prcecox pallida. Naturalized here, among the shrubbery 

 and in hill-gardens, the Daffodil requires no more cultivation 

 than our Eschscholtzias. 



A vast amount of Rose-planting is going on in California, 

 and the results will be charming in a few years, as good varie- 

 ties are mainly used. Several nurserymen have estimated the 

 yearly Rose-sales at 250,000, and of course a great many ama- 

 teurs propagate plants by the hundred for their own gardens. 



The Importation of Japanese trees has become a large busi- 

 ness here. Four or five firms engage in it. Mrs. Berger has 

 brought over Camellias twelve feet high and in full bloom, 

 and some wonderful collections of Chrysanthemums, Peonies 

 and Lilies. I understand that a large part of the Japanese 

 plants sold in this city are sent to the Atlantic states and the 

 South, or even to Europe, and that few Californians are willing 

 to pay for the choicest things that are imported. This agrees 

 with what some of our older nurserymen have often told me, 

 that the taste for fine plants is at present suffering an eclipse 

 here: The actual number of choice conifers and rare decidu- 

 ous trees and shrubs that were sold in this state twenty years 

 ago was larger than it is now. The number of beautiful priv- 

 ate grounds has not appreciably increased in the region around 

 the Bay of San Francisco, since 1870. Cottage-gardens are 

 more abundant ; streets and lanes are more often planted with 

 trees, but that reign of ornamental horticulture, which half a 

 century ago was predicted as certain to come to California, 

 appears little nearer now than a score of years ago. At pres- 

 ent hardly a nurseryman in the state keeps the leading Pacific 

 Coast conifers. 



"I cannot sell Deodar Cedars, Araucarias, Umbrella Pines, 

 or even our beautiful native Lawson's Cypress," said a promin- 

 ent nursery-man to me lately. 



The trouble appears to be that the enormous growth of the 

 orchard interests, and the capital invested in them, have kept 

 nurserymen and planters alike busy with the practical side of 

 horticulture. Perhaps, after a while, the ornamental depart- 

 ment of the nurseries will have a sudden development. 



The great rainfalls, floods and heavy snows in the Sierras, 

 have set people thinking about the forests. More than one of 

 the daily newspapers have called public attention to the warn- 

 ing involved. If the snows are to be held back in the moun- 

 tains, they urge, the trees must be saved. " On the preserva- 

 tion of the forests the prosperity of the greatest interests of 

 the state depends," says the Daily Bulletin. It remains to be 

 seen whether this interest can be directed into forms of 

 efficient action. Charles H. Shinn. 



Niles, Cal. 



The Citizen's Rights in City Trees. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — In your issue of December 18th, Professor Bailey, of 

 Brown University, asks sympathy with his "growl " at the use 

 of sidewalk-trees as telegraph-poles in Providence, R. I. I do 

 not know what sympathy he has received, but I should like 



